Did you catch this online video showing a New York City horse-drawn
carriage driver who spewed homophobic and racist slurs at some people who were peacefully
distributing literature about the cruel carriage industry during NYC’s Pride weekend?

Well, PETA pal, tennis legend, and gay icon Martina
Navratilova has sent the video footage to NYC City Council Speaker Christine
Quinn, also an outspoken gay rights advocate, along with a request on behalf of
PETA to pass an initiative that would phase out the use of horse-drawn
carriages in the city and allow electric, 1920s-era replica cars to gradually take
their place.

As the list of accidents involving horse-drawn carriages
grows and horses continue to endure pain and suffering on hot and hostile city
streets, PETA has been campaigning to bring attention to the animals’ plight. Martina
says in her letter:

We share a heightened sense of
responsibility in fighting the callous disregard that many have for animal
suffering because we have experienced a similar disregard for the cruelty that
we ourselves have faced. You are a champion of gay rights; won’t you extend
your compassion to the city’s beleaguered working animals?

If horse-drawn carriage drivers are this abusive toward
women, imagine how they treat their horses. Animal abuse and virulent bigotry
are hardly appealing to visitors of tourism-dependent NYC.

What You Can Do

Please join Martina Navratilova, Lea Michele, Kristen Johnston, and many others in supporting an end to horse-drawn carriages in New York City
by urging Speaker Quinn to support the initiative to replace them with
eco-friendly classic cars.